The Kiss
by fancyspinner
Summary: One spell can lead to many things, including a very telling kiss. Dresden/Marcone


"The Kiss: a Dresden story

By Fancyspinner

Disclaimers: If these characters were mine, I'd hug them and feed them and … Uh wrong disclaimer thingy.

Take 2: The characters in this story belong to Jim Butcher. I am just taking them for a little spin.

Rating: Teens

Type: Romance, Angst

Spoilers: Through book 10.

Pairings: Dresden/Marcone.

Summary: One spell can lead to many things, including a very telling kiss.

Hospital rooms are always sterile places, and as a rule, the person standing in the doorway avoids them like the plague. Today is different and with hesitant steps a figure cloaked in shadows enters the room. As the figure moves from the door way a tired face with Green eyes that look faded and to the untrained observer, they look devoid of life too, walks towards the bed.

The pain he feels is mixed and yet … he is here, how could he not be? There is so much unfinished between them. He blinks his eyes. He thinks maybe he should go to an eye doctor. Things just looked blurry all the time now.

He doesn't understand how the man in that hospital bed entered his life and shattered its foundations. He had worked so hard and so long to be strong and hard and without feelings – well at least without feelings people could see to use against him.

"You will, Harry Dresden, be the death of me, one way or another." The Words are spoken quietly with little inflection in them at all.

"I suppose I should find it ironic that you had the perfect opportunity to take me down and like the idiot you are you flung yourself in front of the curse aimed at me. Fool!" You could have had everything you wanted. You and Helen both. She delighted in telling me how you had gone to her after my adventure with The Fallen and offered her a deal, your silence for information. It hurt. I don't know why. I suppose you'll not get to brag about it or feel guilty either.

Well, I'm here to take you away from this empty place. The Carpenters have offered to take care of you. I'd do it myself but I know you would certainly not approve. Sergeant Murphy and your brother offered but I figure you wouldn't want their lives interrupted for you. The Carpenters and I have an understanding. Your friend is rather more reasonable then you. I was quite surprised. I also think he's feeling guilty. I hope you'll give him the opportunity to make the amends he needs to?

As for your wolves. They and the Carpenters had a rousing argument that got the attention of an entire grocery store. You would have laughed yourself sick."

He ignores the wetness running down his cheeks. It has been weeks since his life has taken this turn into unreality and he would just wait this spell out.

The hospital bed he reaches is not surrounded by equipment. There are no heart monitors, no IV stands. There aren't even nurses or doctors that check in on this particular patient. There was no hope he would recover, not this time.

John remembers with rage so bright that it shocks him with its fury, the phone call that had finally been returned after weeks of messages being left. The rage is, he supposes, better than the pain that he lives with constantly.

"It is our duty to provide him sanctuary as he passes." The voice that had phoned John Marcone had answered when he had asked why Harry Dresden, Chicago's only wizard, was so isolated and alone. The words had held no warmth.

"There is nothing to be done for him so why Burdon those around him?"

"Who am I speaking with?" John's own voice had been quiet and reasonable.

"My name is Arthur Langtry."

"Well Mr. Langtry, Dresden thrives around his friends and you shouldn't keep them away from him."

"The spell that hit him is nicknamed the Fairytale curse because only true loves kiss can awaken anyone hit by it."

"Has someone called Susan Rodriguez?"

"She was … unavailable to take our call."

"I'll be transferring him to somewhere he would approve of and if you try to stop me I'll take you out. I will not have his courage repaid in this fashion."

There was silence on the other end for a long instance.

"As you wish, Mr. Marcone. You know, I'd watch you're back a bit better. The supernatural world is a very dangerous place."

And so here he stood. Fairytale curse indeed. The usually casually dressed Dresden lay still hands folded across his chest. There was no reaction as Marcone spoke to him. He looks ready for death and that is a journey Marcone would take away from him if it were possible.

Gently, he unclasps the hands from where they rest rubbing them each between his own. He notices that Harry's skin is as supple as ever. The slacks and polo shirt make him chuckle.

"Oh Harry, if you could see how they've dressed you. Of course I'm easily amused you nitwit. I suppose the Carpenters have more appropriate clothing at their home.

He allows his eyes to move to the one place he had been avoiding, Dresden's face. It is slack and still not vital and full of resistance and life and sheer raw stubbornness and that sight finally breaks John Marcone.

For almost 2 months he has been telling himself that Harry Dresden **would** wake up. That he didn't need Harry Dresden in his life. That everything ran so much more smooth without having to take Dresden's extreme reactions into consideration when buying into a new interest or running a business out of town. It has worked until now. Until the Blue eyes that crackled with life and will in his head confronted him with their stillness.

A sob falls from his lips without volition and he falls to his knees beside Dresden's bed.

"You can't do this! I'm ordering you to wake up! Wake up!"" He's screaming at the prone figure now but it doesn't matter because his orders are always followed.

"Dresden, are you listening to me? Wake the hell up!"

He shoots to his feet a moment of brilliant insight hitting him. He leans over Dresden.

"I don't love anyone Dresden. I've never loved, ok, but I need you here it hurts! You have to wake up."

With those words he brings his lips to Harry Dresden's with skill and intensity. He presses a kiss first to the corner of Harry's lips rubbing his lips there softly. Then with slightly firmer pressure he fully captures Harry's mouth. He doesn't let the unresponsive lips beneath him deter him. He nibbles with tiny bights on Harry's lower lip then immediately soothes the slight hurt with his tongue. As his lips claim Harry's own his fingers toy with the Dark hair and he murmurs soft words that he will never remember.

He will, however, always remember the slight instant he pulls away to whisper, "Harry, wake up. I will stay away if that is what you want. I'll leave Chicago, but please, please come back." If for no other reason than the fact Harry Dresden replies.

"Actually, I'd like you to come back and keep kissing me since this obviously is a dream. I know the Merlin wants me dead and this was his last best plan. That was well and truly cast and I know it works. I've seen it in action and …"

His rambling monolog is cut off by John Marcone's kiss. They lose themselves for an endless eternity in the pres of lips and tongues and teeth.

"You know Marcone, for a criminal you're a pretty awesome guy."

A put upon sigh escapes Marcone and Dresden blinks.

"What?"

"This isn't a dream but if as you say your White Counsel wants you dead, we need to get out of here."

Harry struggles for a long moment with those words. They do not quite add up. How is this not a dream? John Marcone super crime boss, totally wealthy, extremely good looking, available is whispering that life is meaningless without him, that he hates the darkness Harry's own absents has created and other such nonsense to him. And Harry isn't screaming, arguing, pitching a fit or talking about being straight. Harry hates change and now he's standing at this huge crossroad where if he walks down this new path everything was going to change. The problem currently was that not even with Susan had he felt so totally protected and safe from all the monsters.

Monsters! It is that thought that snapps him out of his speculations. They need to leave as quickly as possible! The counsel can't monitor with electronics but they can use spells.

"John, we need to go, now!"

He tries to sit up to emphasize the point but he can't.

Marcone just sweeps him into his arms and Harry feels the urge to start singing some appropriate tune. He doesn't simply because he's just too scared an too turned on to think of one. He forces himself to go limp in Marcone's arms to drop his own life signs beneath the notice of any seaking spell until he feels himself lowered into the back seat of a very large car.

"Harry? Harry?""

Then Marcone is kissing him again and Harry is tempted to just lay there and enjoy but then he starts responding to the kisses and he knows that whatever tomorrow will hold for him, it will have to include John Marcone.

He wonders rather hazily if there is a therapist to help Wizards and Crime Bosses make relationships work. He'll have to look in the phone book. He feels his lips curving into a smile and John's mirror his before slowly lifting away.

"Hey!"

"What."

"I was enjoying that."

"Oh, what was so funny?"

"I was trying to figure the kind of therapist it would take to make a relationship between a Wizard and a Crime Boss work."

The man, thinks Marcone, is nuts, but he's mine or at least willing to try.

"John?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand what it means that you broke the curse?"

"That they made a mistake?"

"It means that you've managed to truly and deeply fall in love with me."

"Oh," the word comes out on a sigh.

"I've never done that before. I'm not certain how it works."

"Well apparently it involves offering me whatever I want?"

"You heard all that?"

"I did. John, if you'd have asked me 6 months ago I would have agreed but after what you did for those kids at the church and for those elderly people and—"

"Stop." The word was backed up by an upraised hand.

"I've always done those kinds of things."

A slow smile spreads over Dresden's face.

"So we can just keep doing them together? I mean, it isn't going to be easy but I'd like to see where this goes. I've never felt the way you make me feel not even with Luccio and she's a warden too.

"I don't share."

"Neither do I. we'll probably need to talk a lot and I'm not so good at that when I get upset."

"I'll wait you out."

They shared a smile, and as John Marcone's car drives off into the slowly setting sun; two men hesitantly look towards the future with hope.

The end.


End file.
